[dropcap]A[/dropcap] Texan for three years and a Ranger for less than one, Jeff Milton survived his baptism of gunfire on Apr. 25, 1881 just as he would many other brushes with death in the years to come.

When the wife of Florida governor John Milton gave birth soon after secession, the pleased papa named the baby Jeff Davis in honor of the Confederate president.  The elder Milton died in the closing days of the war, proud of the fact that his beloved Tallahassee along with Austin, Texas were th...